Company Culture Tips From The Best Places To Work

A happy employee is a productive employee. And we all know what increased productivity leads to: a better bottom line. According to Great Places to Work companies with an excellent work culture outperform their competitors on the stock market by nearly two-times. Employees are well aware of their value in the marketplace and expect a superior company culture along with other more traditional benefits like salary, insurance, and vacation time.

Just how do you create a company culture that will not only attract the best employees but retain them as well?

Here are three popular companies that employees are dying to work for and why:

Let’s face it, in today’s competitive culture a company’s branding strategy must include more than just a nod to having a superior workplace culture. The story of how Google treats their employees has been told so many times that it’s been written into their personal brand, so much that many startups look to Google for its best practices, perks, and benefits, such as financial bonuses, free meals, parties, gyms, a dog-friendly workplace, and more. Because of this, Google employees also have a reputation for not only being talented, but driven.

Here are two examples of what Google gets right:

Google Communicates Well

Google knows excellent communication is at the core of keeping employees happy. One of the biggest complaints of employees in any field is that they aren’t getting enough information from their superiors. Frequent, clear communication reminds them that they are a valuable part of the team.

But how do they do it? For starters, Google has an “open door” policy. This accessibility encourages an open flow of communication, fosters closer working relationships, and allows for faster access to information.

Google Offers Development Opportunities

Less than 40% of employees in America feel there are sufficient internal career opportunities at work. Promoting staff within the company reduces turnover and can increase productivity, not to mention it makes employees feel valued and acknowledged for their contributions.

The benefit that really stands out is their open office space – that means no cubicles –which offers plenty of space to roam during breaks or brainstorming sessions. Even CEO Mark Zuckerberg works alongside other employees, not behind a closed door. This structure has been quite successful at promoting a sense of equality and teamwork among employees.

Another benefit that Facebook provides that is integral to fostering an excellent work culture is flexibility.

Flexibility, such as allowing employees to work from home and have varied work hours (instead of being forced to stick to the traditional 9-5), is rapidly becoming the norm, not just a perk. One in four employees report having big problems balancing their work and family life. Providing a flexible work culture is necessary for the recruiting and retaining of top employees.